Baseball glove having a restraining rib

ABSTRACT

A baseball glove includes a glove body having back and palm sections, thumb and finger pockets, and a web bridging the thumb and finger pockets. The palm section has a thumb&#39;s ball area, a hypothenar area, a heel area, and a ball-catching region formed between the thumb&#39;s ball and hypothenar areas and above the heel area. At least one restraining rib is provided on the palm section, and bounds partially the ball-catching region. The restraining rib is adapted to prevent a caught ball from slipping off the ball-catching region, and extends between the ball-catching region and the thumb&#39;s ball area, between the ball-catching region and the heel area, and between the ball-catching region and the hypothenar area. The ball-catching region is unbounded at one side of the ball-catching region opposite to the restraining rib.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 095215236, filed on Aug. 28, 2006.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a glove, more particularly to a baseball or softball glove.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional baseball glove 1 has a glove body 11 made of a leather material, and a filling matter filled inside the glove body 11. The glove body 11 includes a palm portion 12 corresponding to a palm of a player's hand, and finger pockets 13 extending upwardly from the palm portion 12 for insertion of the player's fingers therein.

Conventionally, in order to protect the player's hand, the filling matter is made hard so as to harden the entire leather-made glove body 11. However, this results in the glove 1 being stiff and inflexible to use, such that the player encounters difficulties in performing a catching operation in that he/she may not be able to overcome the hardness of the filling matter and the glove body 11 to smoothly flex the glove body 11. Further, since a front side of the palm portion 12 is smooth, the caught ball may easily slip off from the glove body 11, particularly, during high-speed catching maneuvers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a baseball glove that is capable of overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art.

According to this invention, a baseball glove comprises a glove body and at least one restraining rib. The glove body has a back section, a palm section opposite to the back section, finger pockets extending upwardly from the back and palm sections, a thumb pocket, and a web bridging the thumb pocket and the finger pockets. The palm section has a thumb's ball area, a hypothenar area, a heel area, and a ball-catching region formed between the thumb's ball area and the hypothenar area and above the heel area. The restraining rib is provided on the palm section, and bounds partially the ball-catching region. The restraining rib is adapted to prevent a caught ball from slipping off the ball-catching region, and extends between the ball-catching region and the thumb's ball area, between the ball-catching region and the heel area, and between the ball-catching region and the hypothenar area. The ball-catching region is unbounded at one side of the ball-catching region opposite to the restraining rib.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a conventional baseball glove;

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the first preferred embodiment of a baseball glove according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the first preferred embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic back view of the first preferred embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of the second preferred embodiment of a baseball glove according to the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of the third preferred embodiment of a baseball glove according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the first preferred embodiment of a baseball glove 2 according to the present invention is shown to comprise a glove body 21 and one restraining rib 221.

The glove body 21 is made of leather, and has a back section 212, a palm section 213 opposite to the back section 212, finger pockets 214 extending upwardly from the back and palm sections 212, 213, a thumb pocket 211, and a web 216 bridging the thumb pocket 211 and the finger pockets 214. The palm section 213 has a thumb's ball area 2131, a hypothenar area 2132, a heel area 210, and a ball-catching region 222 formed between the thumb's ball area 2131 and the hypothenar area 2132 and above the heel area 210. The finger pockets 214 include a little finger pocket 2141 and a ring finger pocket 2142.

The back section 212 includes a first back surface region 215 on a back side of the thumb's ball area 2131 and having three spaced-apart first back ribs 231 (see FIG. 3), and a second back surface region 217 below the little finger and ring finger pockets 2141, 2142 and having three spaced-apart second back ribs 232 (see FIG. 4). The first back ribs 231 are made by embossing a leather piece using a die, after which a peripheral edge 2311 of each first back rib 231 is sewn so as to form a stitching line 2312 and to fix the shape of each first back rib 231. The leather piece is made to form the back section 212 of the glove body 21 and back sides of the thumb and finger pockets 211, 214. The stitching line 2312 can prevent an external force from flattening the first back ribs 231. The second back ribs 232 are made in a manner similar to that of the first back ribs 231, so that a detailed description of the same is dispensed herewith for the sake of brevity.

Through the presence of the first and second back ribs 231, 232, i.e., the first back ribs 231 projecting outwardly from the first back surface region 215 and the second back ribs 232 projecting outwardly from the second back surface region 216, the back section 212 of the glove body 21 is strengthened and protected.

In this embodiment, the restraining rib 221 is an elongated embossment protruding from the palm section 213 of the glove body 21 and having a peripheral root 2211 that does not protrude from the palm section 213. The restraining rib 221 forms a single continuous curve that bounds partially the ball-catching region 222 and that extends between the ball-catching region 222 and the thumb's ball area 2131, between the ball-catching region 222 and the heel area 210, and between the ball-catching region 222 and the hypothenar area 2132. The ball-catching region 222 is unbounded by the restraining rib 221 at one side of the ball-catching region 222 opposite to the restraining rib 221. The restraining rib 221 is made in a manner similar to that of the first back ribs 231, that is, a leather piece is embossed using a die, after which the peripheral root 2211 of the formed restraining rib 221 is sewn to provide a stitching line 2212 that is looped along the peripheral root 2211 of the restraining rib 221, thereby fixing the shape of the restraining rib 221. The leather piece is formed into the palm section 213 of the glove body 21 and front sides of the thumb and finger pockets 211, 214. Further, the two leather pieces of the back section 212 and the palm section 213 are sewn together in a conventional manner to form the baseball glove 2.

Due to the presence of the restraining rib 221 on the palm section 213 of the glove body 21, when a ball (shown in FIG. 2 in phantom lines) is caught, it is retained exactly in the ball-catching region 222 of the glove body 21. This is made possible by the protrusion of the restraining rib 221 on the palm section 213, as well as by the partial bounding of the restraining rib 221 on the ball-catching region 222. Moreover, since the embossed restraining rib 221 forms a corrugation on the palm section 213, even if the baseball glove 2 is new and the leather-made glove body 21 is hard, the glove body 21 can quickly and easily bend along the restraining rib 221 so that the gripping action during catching of the ball is more flexible and relaxed. Additionally, the overall appearance of the baseball glove 2 is enhanced due to the presence of the first and second back ribs 231, 232 and the restraining rib 221.

Referring to FIG. 5, the second preferred embodiment of a baseball glove 2 according to the present invention is shown to be similar to the first preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the palm section 213 of the glove body 21 is provided with a pair of restraining ribs 221′ to bound the ball-catching region 222′. The restraining ribs 221′ extend downwardly and convergingly from the ball-catching region 222′ such that an upper portion of the ball-catching region 222′ is larger than a lower portion thereof. The restraining ribs 221′ respectively have bottom ends that are spaced-apart from each other below the ball-catching region 222′. A ball can similarly be received and retained in the ball-catching region 222′ during a catching operation.

Referring to FIG. 6, the third preferred embodiment of a baseball glove 2 according to the present invention is shown to be similar to the first preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the palm section 213 of the glove body 21 is provided with three restraining ribs 221″ that are spaced apart from each other along a curve that bounds partially the ball-catching region 222″. The advantages of the first preferred embodiment can be likewise attained using the third preferred embodiment.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

1. A baseball glove comprising: a glove body having a back section, a palm section opposite to said back section, finger pockets extending upwardly from said back and palm sections, a thumb pocket, and a web bridging said thumb pocket and said finger pockets, said palm section having a thumb's ball area, a hypothenar area, a heel area, and a ball-catching region formed between said thumb's ball area and said hypothenar area and above said heel area; and at least one restraining rib provided on said palm section and bounding partially said ball-catching region, said restraining rib being adapted to prevent a caught ball from slipping off said ball-catching region and extending between said ball-catching region and said thumb's ball area, between said ball-catching region and said heel area, and between said ball-catching region and said hypothenar area, said ball-catching region being unbounded at one side of said ball-catching region opposite to said restraining rib; wherein said restraining rib has an elongated embossment protruding from said palm section, and a root that is connected to said embossment and that does not protrude from said palm section, said palm section further having a stitching line looping along said root. 2-3. (canceled)
 4. The baseball glove of claim 1, wherein said restraining rib forms a single continuous curve.
 5. The baseball glove of claim 1, wherein a pair of said restraining ribs are provided on said palm section to bound said ball-catching region and extend downwardly and convergingly from said ball-catching region, said restraining ribs having respective bottom ends that are spaced apart from each other below said ball-catching region.
 6. The baseball glove of claim 1, wherein a plurality of said restraining ribs are provided on said palm section, and are spaced apart from each other along a curve that bounds partially said ball-catching region.
 7. The baseball glove of claim 1, wherein said back section includes a first back surface region on a back side of said thumb's ball area, said first back surface region having at least one first back rib.
 8. The baseball glove of claim 7, wherein said finger pockets include a little finger pocket and a ring finger pocket, said back section further having a second back surface region below said little finger and ring finger pockets, said second back surface region having a second back rib. 